


Frequency of Flying

by NotOfImport



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Coffee Shops, Denial of Feelings, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship Twist, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pansexual Tony Stark, Pining, Prosthetic Bucky, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Training, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-05-27 01:10:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6263572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotOfImport/pseuds/NotOfImport
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tony wants to join the new gym, he finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Best friend and roommate, Steve agrees to play couple with him for the discount, as well as an unmentioned “benefit” Tony offers. It’s not long before Steve realizes this benefit is a beautiful trainer named Bucky, someone who’s fallen for their act. Between keeping up the facade and admitting his own feelings, Steve is caught falling fast and hard for a man who continues to distance himself from what is very much a complicated situation, despite his own feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rock and a Hard Place

“You two...are a couple?” A muscular, long-haired brunette stood before Steve and Tony, his arms crossed before them as they attempted to register for the gym they stood in. 

Steve remained staring at the man, _Bucky_ , his name tag read, as he felt Tony’s fingers slip between his own. He gave a weak smile, refusing to speak for fear of blowing this all apart. He and Tony were most certainly not a couple, and he was sure this Bucky would see right through them. 

Bucky uncrossed his arms, placing them instead on his hips, eyebrows furrowed even further. Steve’s eyes flitted down to the metal prosthetic hand peeking out of Bucky’s tight red workout shirt. He gulped and nodded, grasping tighter to Tony’s hand, as if that’d convince the man more. 

“Why are you questioning us, man? It’s 2016, is this so unbelievable?” Tony’s eyes were narrowed at Bucky, offended at the implication his words held. 

Bucky huffed, “Hmph, no, nothing of the sort. But we’ve had misadventures here before.” A smirk crossed his face, “Usually..people kiss to convince us. I mean, assuming that’s not a problem for you two.” 

Steve swallowed hard again, thinking back to how he’d even gotten in such a situation. 

\--

Days earlier, Tony’d entered their small apartment irritated, shutting the door harder than necessary and plopping himself down on the couch. 

Steve peeked his head around the corner from the kitchen, “What the hell is wrong now?” This was a regular occurrence, Tony coming home with a tick in his jaw and anger in his eyes. He just shook his head, pushing himself up off the couch and walking to the kitchen to grab a soda from the fridge. 

He cracked it open, taking a large gulp before finally speaking, “You know that gym around the corner? Shield Fitness or some shit? You wouldn’t believe their prices.” He swallowed down more of the soda before setting it down on the counter. 

Steve just scoffed at him, “That’s what you’re so pissed about? It’s just a gym, Tony. Go running or something, that doesn’t cost shit.” He let out a laugh, looking back down to the dishes he’d been scrubbing before being interrupted. 

“Yeah but Steve, there’s a _spa_ , I can’t get that in Central Park. Unless-” He paused, shaking his head, “Nah, never mind.” 

This raised Steve’s head from the sink, he could never stand open ends, “What?” 

Tony still shook his head, taking up his soda again and finishing it off, “Nah, you’d never go for it. You’re too..wholesome.” The words lingered on his tongue, and irritated Steve. 

“The fuck I am, tell me.” He let the plate he was holding fall back into the soapy water, wiping his hands on the dishrag beside him and turning to face Tony, leaning against the counter with arms crossed. 

Tony let out a laugh, “Alright,” he pointed at Steve, “but you’ve gotta promise not to fall in love with me.” Steve rolled his eyes, bringing more laughter forth from Tony’s lips. 

“Well, the girl mentioned something about registering as a couple, there’s a discount and we’d split the cost. We’d both get a membership for only $60!” He threw his hands in the air, knocking over the empty soda can without care. 

“How much is it alone?” Steve mulled over the thought, still far from sure. 

“$125 a fucking month.” Tony jumped up to sit on the counter, interlocking his fingers and waiting for reply. 

Steve shook his head, “I don’t know, Tony. Pretending to be a couple just for a gym membership..I’m just not that good an actor. And if we got caught...” 

Tony’s head fell in defeat, knowing that most of the time Steve wouldn’t budge. But Steve watched his head slowly rise back up, a smile on his face and some unthinkable look in his eyes. 

“There may be something that could benefit you...but only if you say yes. You just gotta trust me, Rogers.” Tony kicked his feet against the cabinet door, that same smile on his face, a deeper look in his eyes. 

“Son of a bitch, you knew I wouldn’t be able to say no to that.” Steve gave him a light punch on the arm, and turned away to resume doing the dishes, “Fine, I’ll go along with your plan. But it better be worth it.” 

Tony hopped off the counter, patting atop Steve’s head before strolling to his room, “Oh, it will be.” His voice grew faint as he called back, shutting the door behind him. Steve could just barely make out the laughter from behind his door. 

He really was in for it, wasn’t he?

\--

Steve sure was, he cursed his decisions as he stood there, hand in hand with Tony and about to _kiss_ the man for God’s sake. He turned his head to look at Tony, watching that stupid smirk cross his face yet again. 

“No problem.” Tony turned away from Bucky, reaching a hand up to the back of Steve’s neck. Steve shivered under the touch, his hand was awfully cold, but his lips looked alright. The beard around them wasn’t exactly his taste, but he could suck it up for a few seconds. 

He leaned forward, lips parting slightly as he met Tony’s. He closed his eyes, a natural movement as their lips overlapped and underlapped for a few brief seconds. Tony pulled away, and Steve’s cheeks were a bright red as he looked back to Bucky. 

“That’s my guy.” Tony pulled Steve closer, eyes narrowing even further as he and Bucky stared each other down. 

They stared for what felt like an eternity for Steve, until Bucky’s stone face broke out into a bout of laughter. 

“Ha! Alright, let’s get you fellas registered.” His arms fell to his sides and he walked around the service desk to hand them a form. Steve let go of Tony’s hand once they were out of Bucky’s view, letting Tony fill out the form as he tapped his feet and fiddled with the loose change in his pockets, anything to keep his mind off of the redness he could still feel burning against his cheeks. 

When Steve could finally look up from the granite desktop, he met Bucky’s eyes immediately, a stormy blue-grey fixed in place. 

“Sorry about all that, but, I gotta admit even I might try faking a relationship for a discount. You two are cute together.” A brief smile flashed across his face, before it disappeared, and Steve just shrugged. 

“I understand, and thanks.” His eyebrows raised in worry, corner of his mouth turning up in an uncertain smile. 

“He’s chiseled like a statue, but a big ol’ softie once you get to know him. I sure got lucky.” Tony interjected, bumping an elbow into Steve with a smile. 

“How long have you guys been together?” The words seemed to force themselves out of Bucky’s mouth, and Steve watched as he lifted his prosthetic hand to run through his hair. Steve’s lips fell apart, words caught in his throat. 

“Year and a half.” Tony spoke without looking up, and Bucky swallowed at the sound. 

“Ahh, long time.” He ran his fingers through his hair again, and Steve continued staring at him, nodding slightly before averting his gaze elsewhere. 

Tony looked up, placing the pen down and sliding it with the form towards Bucky. “There we go, all set.” 

Bucky flipped through the pages, “Okay, are you two doing card or cash?” He tapped his metal fingers on the desk, waiting patiently as both Tony and Steve pulled out their wallets and handed him their cards. 

“Hmph..” Bucky secured the cards between his fingers, staring at them individually and typing the information into his computer. 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Steve’s voice sprang up, “no joint bank account, right? Well, we aren’t married yet. But, who knows. Maybe soon! I mean-” His eye flitted over to Tony, who shot him a look, as if telling him to shut up. 

Steve gulped, “...you never know.” He finished the thought, and Bucky raised his eyebrows as he looked at Steve. 

“Yeah, you never do.” He looked back to his computer, clicking the keys and hitting enter before handing them back their cards. 

“Alright, well, it’s an automatic payment system, and we offer three day extensions for late payments. Though that does require coming in to pay the bill, but, do what you gotta do, right?” 

He offered a smile to the both of them, eyes lingering on Steve’s before shooting over to Tony. 

“Most definitely, so that’s it?” Tony smiled back, tapping his card against the counter before securing it back in his wallet. 

Bucky nodded, “Hope to see you two in here soon. Have a nice day!” His voice turned up, offering a wide smile as the both of them turned around. 

Steve turned back to look at him once more, seeing that Bucky’s smile had fallen until they met Steve’s eyes again. He turned his lips up in a smaller one, and Steve wanted to smile back. 

But he just laced his fingers with Tony’s, watching as Bucky’s smile faded away before facing forward and following Tony out the door. 

\--

The walk back to their apartment was speechless, give for noise of their surroundings and Tony trying to engage Steve in conversation. 

“Boy, Steve, I didn’t know you were such a good kisser. You gave even me shivers.” Tony elbowed him, frowning when Steve refused to look at him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, continuing to stare at the solid profile. 

“What’s got you all sullen now?” He turned with Steve onto their street, trying to keep pace and failing. Steve hopped up the apartment steps, shoving the key in its hole, continuing to ignore Tony until they were both in the apartment and he was flopped onto the old couch. 

“You totally screwed me, Tony.” He kicked his shoes off, and crossed his feet atop the arm rest. 

“I don’t remember that.” Tony pushed his feet off the arm, sitting atop the worn fabric and shifting around every few seconds. 

Steve glared at him, arms crossed and chest huffing. Tony couldn’t do anything but shrug, eyebrows raised in confusion and partially formed words on his lips. 

“‘C’mon Steve, let’s pretend to be a couple it’ll be worth your while!’ Whatever.” 

Tony threw his hands up, “I’m sorry, what part about the swollen brunette did you miss? ‘Cause I was there, he was there, did I imagine you?” 

Steve continued to glare, an eyebrow raised and lips parted, “Oh, I was there. I had to kiss you right in front of him.” 

“You’ve been out for three years, Steve, now is not the time to be having a gay panic about kissing me.” Tony crossed his arms to match Steve, staring him down. 

He was met seconds later with Steve right before him, hurt and anger in his eyes, and a finger pointing in his face. 

“I am _not_ having a gay panic. But now I can’t do anything about the so-called benefit of the brunette, his name is Bucky, by the way, without giving us up.” Steve spoke quickly, inching closer and closer to Tony, forcing him to move off of the arm rest.

“...Ohh..I see.” Tony propped up his chin with a hand, narrowing his eyes and suddenly much more aware of what exactly was happening, “I knew you would have a thing for him.” 

“It’s not a thing! Or at least it won’t be, not as long as I’m ‘dating’ you. And for the sake of saving money, I am.” Steve let himself fall back onto the couch, raising his hands to his forehead, exhaling all his breath.

“You’re right, it was poorly conceived.” Tony walked closer to Steve, lifting his outstretched legs and plopping down into the couch, letting Steve’s legs rest atop his own. 

“Look, when I went last week, he wasn’t working the desk. I just noticed him training someone in the gym, knew you’d be interested. And, well, I’m sorry.” He rested his hands over Steve’s legs, messing with the fabric of his jeans and tugging at a loose thread near the hem. 

Steve sighed, “It’s fine, just a lost venture.” 

“No, no, you know what. If you’re _that_ into him, after only one meeting, then you can tell him. I can always find another gym.” Tony looked down at Steve, who uncovered his face and smiled at him. He lifted his legs off of Tony, sitting up next to him. 

“Thanks, Tony.” He patted him on the arm, watching as Tony’s head fell, a smile on his face.

“But I won’t do it, this was the deal and I gotta stick to it. There are other boys.” He pushed himself against Tony, standing up right after to grab the TV remote. 

“And girls! Steve, let’s not forget about them.” He’d perked up, and Steve rolled his eyes, already prepared to hear about whom Tony had fallen in love with too soon. 

“There was this blonde, the day I first went to Shield, buddy you should’ve seen her.” Tony fell back against the couch with a sigh, “She was something, I almost didn’t care how much it cost to join.” 

Steve grabbed the remote, plopping back down on the couch and shaking his head, “Sorry, Tony. If I have to give up Bucky, you gotta give up your blonde. It’s only fair. No boys or girls for either of us from that place.” 

“But-” Tony started, before abandoning thought, “Yeah, fine, guess I’m stuck with you.” 

“Stuck with? This was your idea!” Steve laughed, clicking a button to turn on the TV and watching out of the corner of his eye as Tony rose slowly from where he was slumped into the couch cushion. 

“Well I mean…” He started, leaving Steve to chase the thought. 

“What.” Steve clicked the remote, running through the guide to settle on whatever cooking show was playing. 

“Not saying we have to _do_ anything about our attraction, necessarily. But, if we were to ask for personal trainers, would that be the worst thing?” Tony sat forward, hands clasped together, waiting for approval. 

Steve set the remote down, chewing on the thought for a moment before a smile spread across his face. 

“I mean...it certainly couldn’t hurt. We’re going tomorrow, right?” 

They met each other’s eyes, smiles on their faces as they sunk back into the couch, their eyes averting to the TV, their minds far from it. 

\--

The next day, Steve was up and ready before noon, tight grey workout shirt stretching across his torso, barely fitting over his navy blue shorts. He strolled over to the coffee table, lifting his foot up onto it to tie his shoe. 

He didn’t see nor hear Tony walk up behind him, but he certainly felt the pat on his butt as he hunched over, trying to tie the laces with his big hands. 

“There’s my guy!”

Steve shot up, “Hey! Come on now.” He pushed past Tony towards the door, workout bag slung over his shoulder and keys in hand. 

“I’m getting into character.” Tony defended, shrugging his shoulders as he followed Steve outside the apartment. 

They both laughed, hopping down the steps and strolling down the street with smiles on their faces. 

“You’re certainly chipper today.” Tony moved around behind Steve, unzipping a pocket in the bag and pulling out a granola bar. 

“I could say the same for you.” He turned his head, just in time to see Tony nodding while tearing off half of the snack. 

They walked down the street, people shuffling past them and staring, Tony waving his fingers back at them, Steve just looking to the ground with a smile. He readjusted the bag on his shoulder, reaching a hand into the smallest pocket and feeling around for headphones. Tony continued biting into the small granola bar, finishing it off before they rounded the corner onto their gym’s street. 

Steve adjusted the bag once again when the gym was in sight, finding himself both anxious and eager to see Bucky again. He was sure Tony felt the same about whatever blonde mystery he’d been dreaming about yesterday. As they got closer to the gym, he felt Tony’s hand slip into his own, it still gave him a shock. 

Tony pulled open the door with his free hand, allowing Steve to walk in first and following close behind. 

The gym still smelled fresh, it being so early in the morning, with only a handful of people in sight. 

A pretty blonde stood at the front desk, eyes lighting with recognition when she noticed Tony, “So you did decide to join after all?” Her lips were turned up in a smile, freckles scattered along her cheeks and the light reflecting off her soft-looking hair. 

“Pepper! Yeah, I came by a few days after we talked.” She walked around the desk, and Steve was captivated by her height, long arms making way to long legs, patterned leggings accentuating her curves. She walked up to them, matching their gaze and glancing over to Steve. 

“Ah, well then the couple’s deal worked out.” Her eyes fell to their hands, still interlocked. 

“It did indeed, though both of us are in need of trainers, if you’d like to help with that?” He let go of Steve’s hand, “Just as well, is there a locker room where we can stick this monstrosity?” Tony gestured to the bag Steve was carrying, and Pepper smiled at them, nodding. 

“It’s around the corner to the right, that hallway there.” She pointed to an opening just past the front desk, “And yes, I can help with your trainer situation.” 

Steve switched shoulders, slinging the bag onto his other one while watching Tony absolutely fall over this woman. 

“Steve here is really looking to work on his upper body, though. I heard that Bucky character might be a help?” Tony looked back to Steve, winking. 

“Doesn’t look like his arms can get any bigger, but Bucky does seem like a good fit. If you’d like to set that bag down in the locker room, I’ll bet that’s where he’s avoiding work.” She let out a laugh, turning and walking into the hallway, positive that the two men would follow her. 

“Told you she’s something.” Tony spoke hushed to Steve, with a smirk on his face. 

“She really is. Now hurry up.” He smiled back, pushing Tony playfully towards the doorway, and following right after. 

They strolled into the locker room, and Steve caught the sight of Bucky, his back turned to them, throwing on a red, fitted shirt. His back muscles were flexed, and Steve’s eyes shied away when they fell upon the scars that met the beginning of his prosthetic arm. He’d honestly believed maybe it was just the hand he’d lost, surprised when he saw the marred skin, raised scars just barely beginning to fade. 

“Steve?” Tony’s voice called from behind him, and Steve whipped his head around. 

“Pepper says we should get started, so, we’ll be out there. Alright, babe?” Steve flinched at the word, but nodded and offered the two of them a small smile. 

“I’ll bring our water bottles out in a bit.” He lifted a hand, giving Tony and Pepper a quick wave as they disappeared out the door. 

When he’d turned back around, Bucky was facing him, eyebrows raised. 

“You two sure are eager to get in shape.” He reached down, pulling a hand towel off of the bench and running it roughly through his hair, slick with sweat. “Most people aren’t, hell, I sure wasn’t.” 

Steve stepped forward, setting the bag down on a bench and rifling through it, pulling out two water bottles. “Keeps me happy, or distracted.” He shrugged, “Sometimes both.” 

Bucky let out a small laugh, “I get ya, I stay late on bad days, makes ‘em a little better.” He inhaled deeply, clapping his hands together and walking towards Steve, “You ready to get workin’?” His eyes sparkled as he waited for a response, but Steve was stalled, eyes glued to his lips, pink and shiny. They looked soft to touch. 

“Hm?” Bucky took another step forward, and Steve’s eyes shot back up to make eye contact. 

“Oh, yeah, you bet. Let’s do it.” His mind short circuited at his word choice, he closed his eyes and shook his head. And Bucky either didn’t get the mistake, or chose to move past it, because when Steve looked back to him, there stood that closed lip smile, and he simply gestured for Steve to come with as he walked out of the locker room. 

They emerged in the gym moments later, Steve’s eyes scanning the room, fixing to the spot where Tony and Pepper were stretching. He strolled towards them, placing the water bottle down on the mat beside Tony, “Here you go.” 

“Thanks, Steve.” Tony turned best he could to face Steve, arm stretched around the back of his head and reaching for the other. 

“Welcome, don’t exert yourself too much.” He watched as Pepper studied Tony, an arm reaching behind her to grasp her foot, somehow retaining a sense of grace in her stretching. 

“Aw, look at you worrying for me. You be careful too, those muscles can only get so big.” Tony had moved to match Pepper’s post, and Steve leaned forward to push him, his whole body tipping before he regained balance. 

“Hey!” There was laughter in his voice, and Steve laughed along, ears drawn to the sound of new voices, Pepper’s before him and Bucky’s coming up beside him. He turned his head to look at Bucky, their eyes meeting with great smiles on their lips. 

“Alright, alright. We’re going over there.” Steve pointed to a corner of the gym where nobody was, three mats lying on the floor waiting for use. 

Tony waved him off, and Steve turned, walking to the purple mat and setting his water down. 

Bucky sat down on the yellow mat beside Steve, outstretching his legs and reaching his arms forward to grip his toes. His thighs were muscular, tight against the black athletic pants. 

Steve’s eyes were occupied, moving back and forth between his own movements and that of Bucky’s. He sat down on his mat, stretching both legs in a v-shape, leaning forward till his torso almost met the floor. 

The both of them stretched out their muscles, Bucky springing up from the floor and reaching a hand down for Steve to take as he finished. 

Steve watched him shove his prosthetic hand in the pocket of his bottoms as he reached to take his hand, the skin warm and damp against his own. It sent a bolt of waves through him, and his eyes flitted over to where Pepper had Tony on the elliptical machine, she was running on the treadmill next to him, giving him an encouraging thumbs up when they looked to each other.

“Pepper’s a good one,” Bucky’s voice drew Steve to look at him, “Encouraging, but she’ll push you till you feel like dying. I sure felt like dyin’.” He pulled Steve up, clapping him on the back and ushering him over to the weights. 

“You trained with Pepper?” Steve sat himself down on one of the seats, reaching for the hundred pound weight as Bucky sat on the seat in front of him.

“Yeah, couple months after my accident,” He raised his prosthetic hand, “I was down, she helped pick me back up. And, not to brag, but I managed to gain some incredible muscle over the four months I worked with her.”

Steve looked at him, eyebrows furrowing, “Four months? Wow, that’s-” He exhaled, “that’s impressive.” 

Bucky let out a breathy laugh, “If you say so, I think it was just surviving. I remember one of the first things she told me,” He smiled, “that I should be glad I only gotta work out one arm. And that was one of the first times I was proud of this thing.” He spoke freely, openly, as he lifted a fifty pound weight with his right hand, the other holding his thigh as he leaned forward towards Steve. 

“Well, you- you should be. I like it.” Steve switched between hands, lifting his heavy weight with little difficulty and looking into Bucky’s eyes, glistening with something indescribable. 

They switched around for the next hour, Bucky encouraging Steve when he got tired of lifting the weights, or stopped doing pull-ups, teasing that he, “didn’t have such big arms for nothing!” 

Tony and Pepper had almost completely slipped Steve’s mind, the fact that they were supposed to be together slipped his mind, until Tony came up to the duo, Pepper wiping her face off with a rag behind him. 

“Phew, I’m beat.” He stood with his hands on his hips, sweat along his brow and the faintest wheeze in his breath. 

Steve let himself drop off the pull-up bar, reaching down for his water and taking a swig while nodding, he swallowed the water before offering some to Tony, his bottle having been emptied who knows how long ago. 

“Yeah, me too.” Steve’s eyes moved between the three people standing around him. 

Tony took the water bottle, unscrewing the cap and raising it to his lips, “You wanna grab lunch?” He took a swig of the water, swallowing what was left of the bottle in a few large gulps, watching as Steve shook his head. 

“I really just wanna take a nap.” He chuckled, nodding his head towards the locker room before strolling out, the three others following behind him. 

They walked into the locker room, Pepper refusing to pass through the doorway, instead leaning against it and calling out a farewell. 

“Glad to see you guys are so exhausted, means Buck and I did our jobs. Tony, next time we’re going even faster so you be ready.” She narrowed her eyes at Tony before waving and disappearing into the hall. 

Tony sighed and reached into their bag, pulling out t-shirts for him and Steve. He threw the shirt to Steve, who’d seated himself on the bench, his back resting against the cold lockers, a content, “ahh” falling out between his lips. He met Tony’s eyes, and Tony gestured them towards the sinks, where Bucky stood with the sink running, wetting a towel and placing it over his face. 

“Shh!” Steve waved his shirt towards Tony, trying to hit him with it. But Tony dodged it, pulling his shirt down over his head. He walked closer to Steve, who’d just barely pulled off his own shirt, and leaned down, “I’ll be waiting in the lobby.” He grabbed the bag, slinging it over his shoulder as Steve threw his dirty shirt at Tony, scowling at him and watching regretfully as he walked out. 

Bucky turned from the sink, pulling down the towel off his face and seeing Steve sitting there, shirtless. He laughed. 

“I don’t know why you think you need a gym, man.” He stepped towards Steve, wiping down his right arm with the towel before tossing it aside to what Steve could only assume was his own bag. 

“Tony wouldn’t shut up about it, honestly.” 

And he really _was_ being honest, when it came down to it. A few details here and there spared. 

“But, regardless,” Steve stood up, gripping his shirt and moving closer to Bucky. “You seemed happy to help...and I appreciate it.” 

He was nervous out of his mind, but continued stepping towards Bucky, just praying that the beat of his heart wasn’t too audible. The space between them grew smaller, as Bucky was fixed in place, looking from Steve’s eyes to anywhere else in the room that could pull him. Eventually he just stepped a foot back, stopping Steve in his tracks. 

“I’m just, doing my job.” He took another small step back, “Honestly.” 

Steve’s heart sank, he really couldn’t tell if it was the truth or not, but regardless Bucky had moved away from him, and he watched as Bucky nodded his head in farewell before sidestepping out of Steve’s way and back into the hallway. 

He stood there a moment longer, shirt still in hand, until he yanked it over his head in anger, storming out of the locker room, albeit not to the notice of any other employees. 

Tony stood there in front of the door with a smile on his face, which fell as soon as Steve walked past him, pushing the door open and making his way down the street. 

“Steve!” Tony turned quickly and followed him out, jogging to catch up to him, and still not maintaining pace when he finally did. “What the hell?” 

Steve shoved his hands in his pockets, cursing the consequences of his bad decision making, and the rate of which he’d fallen, before he turned to Tony. 

“I never should’ve agreed to this.” 

He walked faster down the street, Tony stopping in place and looking back to Shield. 

Maybe Steve was right.


	2. A Starter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony plan to break up, and Steve is more than eager to build a friendship with Bucky before that happens. He thinks it'll increase his chances, an old fashioned blindness that'll eventually catch up to him.

Three days later, Steve returned to the gym without Tony. He’d been sulking for those days, in between work and socializing, he’d search for Bucky on any social media he could think of, finding that many of them were set to private. And so his eyes lingered on the profile pictures, always outside and always with his hair looking soft and wind whipped. 

Tony snuck up behind him on more than one occasion, ducking down to peer at the pictures, “Boy, you’ve got it bad.” 

Steve would jump, inhaling deeply before smacking Tony on the shoulder and closing out the window. 

“This is _your_ fault.” 

“Hey, I’m a lovesick puppy too, but I’m not _sulking_ over Pepper. Get outta your own head, Rogers, do something about it.”

He spoke as if that were possible, as if they hadn’t tricked everyone into thinking they were a couple, as if Steve could just invite Bucky out for dinner. As if. 

“It’s not that simple, or else you would’ve asked Pepper.” Steve rested his head in the palm of his hand, sighing while staring at Tony. He watched Tony raised an eyebrow, thinking while he chewed on his lip and looked to the ceiling. 

“You’re right. Well, I mean. There are ways around it. Just become his friend, maybe we can ‘break up’ in a couple weeks. And then we’ll both get what we want.” He smirked at Steve, narrowing his eyes and tapping his bare foot on their cold apartment floor. 

Steve nodded, his eyes flitting over to the computer screen, the image of Bucky’s hair blowing in the wind in front of some ever expanding beach flashing in his mind. “I can handle being friends, until we’re over with.” He gestured between himself and Tony, raising his eyebrows with a thoughtful smile crossing his lips. 

And so, the next day, Steve awoke before Tony, crouching around the apartment before sneaking out the front door, careful not to wake Tony as he headed to the gym. 

The air outside was brisk, and Steve could see his breath as he whistled down the street, securing his bag every time someone made eye contact with him. He shoved his hands in his pockets as the cold raised goosebumps on his skin, trying to preserve some warmth so he wasn’t shaking by the time he reached the gym. 

He turned down the street, exhaling whirls of white air as the gym drew closer and closer to sight. His feet rolled on the sidewalk, pulling him forward despite the beating in his chest and his racing mind. The parking lot was near empty, a single car parked in the employee section and a single car parked in the member spots. He could only hope that the employee was Bucky, his eyes latching to the car as he skipped up the gym steps and pulled open the glass door with his cold hand. 

Luck happened to be in his favor that day, as the person standing there to greet him was, in fact, Bucky. Steve lifted his hand, offering a small wave when Bucky looked up from his clipboard. He felt the weak smile on his face, and saw a matching one cross Bucky’s face seconds later. 

“...Hi.” Steve forced out the greeting, his feet moving forward closer to Bucky as he waited for a response. 

“Hey..we haven’t seen you around here the past few days. Just caught up with work?” Bucky set his clipboard down on the front desk, scooting closer to the countertop and leaning back against it with his arms crossed. 

“Yeah, but I got my workouts in, don’t worry.” He adjusted his bag, letting out a laugh and shuffling around on his feet. 

Bucky smiled, a seemingly real smile, and uncrossed his arms. “Glad to hear that, it’d be a shame for those muscles to get weak.” He nudged his head toward the locker room, “You wanna set that down before we get started?” 

“Oh, sure.” Steve followed Bucky to the locker room, taking his hand out of his pocket and wiping it on his shorts, as if the cold from outside immediately turned to heat when he entered the gym. 

The locker room seemed to be even hotter, he felt beads of sweat form on his brow before he wiped them away with his hand. He threw down his bag and pulled out a bottle of water, downing half the bottle before Bucky stopped him. 

“Hey! Don’t drink too much of that! If you gorge yourself you’ll end up spitting it back up later. Small sips, Steve.” Bucky walked towards him, reaching his prosthetic hand up and gently taking it away from where it sat between Steve’s lips. 

Steve gulped down the water in his mouth, eyes locked with Bucky’s as he felt the bottle leave his lips. He held it in his hand, Bucky taking away his own hand and letting it fall to his side.

Steve’s lips were still parted, quiet breaths falling out from between them as his fingers wrapped tighter around the bottle, water line rising but never reaching the top. His breath was shaky, and as he looked into Bucky’s eyes it felt like hours passed between them, stormy grey blue tones pierced through him. He could see Bucky’s chest rise and fall, his breath broken before Steve noticed a flash of reality pervade the dreamy shade of his eyes. 

“Not too much water, okay?” Bucky took a small step back, his eyes shifting to watch Steve screw the plastic cap onto the water bottle. He nodded slowly, staring as Bucky turned and walked out of the locker room, Steve following right behind. 

“So you wanna continue working on your arms today?” Bucky looked back at Steve as they walked into the gym, nobody but them in the worn down room. 

“Thought I’d take it easy today, just go slow on the treadmill.” He paused in the middle of the floor, Bucky turning on his heels to face him. 

“Yeah, we can do that, sure.” He turned again, hopping over to the treadmills and stepping onto the one farthest left. Steve set his water on the ground and stepped onto the one right next to Bucky. 

“What would you suggest for speed?” Steve put his hands on his hips, leaning forward and squinting his eyes to examine the foreign buttons. He was never used to this type of equipment, having been accustomed to the greenery and noise of Central Park on his runs. 

Bucky already had his machine moving, and he was walking casually as he spoke to Steve, “Start walking, then move up in speed every ten minutes. Sound good?” He pressed another button, the machine moving faster beneath his feet as he picked up speed quickly, and Steve watched him for a second before pressing a button on his own machine. 

He walked on the machine, getting impatient and hitting a faster speed so that he could catch up with Bucky, who was already jogging. 

The two of them didn’t speak while they ran, Bucky pressing buttons on his machine and Steve doing the same shortly after. The gym was quiet, save for their heavy breaths and the whirring treadmills. Steve caught eyes with Bucky every few minutes, a smirk crossing their faces as they went faster on the machines, Bucky making the transition with ease and Steve still getting used to the treadmill. 

Compared to Bucky, Steve’s breathing was a mess. Ragged and deep, while Bucky was short inhales and exhales. The both of them were starting to sweat, small beads forming on Steve’s forehead and Bucky’s complexion near drenched with water, sliding down his reddening cheeks and hitting the floor. 

Steve hit another button, running faster than Bucky now, and he looked over with an open mouthed smile. “You getting tired?” He poked fun, words broken by his heavy breathing. 

“I thought,” Bucky took short, quick breaths, “I was supposed to be _your_ trainer.” He narrowed his eyes at Steve, a smile across his lips. 

They both faced forward, shaking their heads and Steve heard the beep of Bucky’s treadmill, catching up to his speed. “That’s more like it.” He spoke without facing Bucky, but heard a broken laugh somewhere in between his shallow breaths. 

Time went by, Steve wiped away the few beads of sweat that kept forming, while Bucky became drenched, still running with ease but definitely heating up quickly. 

Steve hit a button to slow down his machine, kept hitting it until he was back to a walking pace. He walked on the machine while reaching down for the water bottle on the floor next to him. 

Bucky followed suit, slowing himself down to a slow jog and pulling off the towel that hung on the machine to wipe his red face. Steve eyed him as he took a swig of water, twisting the cap and letting the bottle fall back to the floor. 

“Think you’re done for the day?” Bucky slowed himself to match Steve’s pace, placing his hands on the bars of the machine and turning to meet Steve’s eyes.

Steve turned his head and nodded, “Yeah, I’m a little beat.” He let out a laugh, “You, on the other hand, look like you’re about to pass out.” Examining Bucky’s red face, he reached again for his bottle and offered it, feeling something in his chest leap with Bucky’s fingers curled around the clear bottle, brushing Steve’s as he took it. 

“Nah,” Bucky put the bottle to his lips, “I just sweat easy, I guess.” He took multiple gulps of the water, nearly finishing it off.

And Steve’s eyes fell to the way Bucky’s lips wrapped around the tip of the bottle, his adam’s apple bobbing with every swallow. Steve gulped, focused on the small drop of water that escaped Bucky’s lips and dripped down his chin. He took the bottle away from his lips, a satisfied “ahhh” falling out between his lips as he wiped the drop of water off his chin. 

“I always forget my water, thanks.” He handed the bottle back to Steve, who could feel an awful blush creeping up his cheeks as he took it. 

“It’s nothing..” Steve pressed a button to stop the machine finally, and he stepped off, watching as Bucky did the same and walked past him, giving an assured pat on the shoulder before walking out the gym and into the locker room. 

“I’m gonna fucking kill Tony.” He whispered into the empty gym, looking at the near empty bottle in his faintly shaking hand. He raised the bottle to his lips and drank what was left of the water, turning quickly and tossing it in the garbage as he made his way to the locker room. 

Bucky was standing at the sink, water running with a squeak from the old faucets as Steve watched him cup his hand under the nozzle and splash the water on his face, prosthetic hand gripping the damp towel he’d used earlier. 

Steve turned his head and sat down next to his bag, pulling out a dry shirt and shorts. He saw Bucky walking towards him out of the corner of his eye, watched him grab a shirt and jeans from one of the lockers and toss them on the bench across from Steve. He strolled over to the bench, pulling off his damp shirt before taking a seat. “I don’t have to be all showy in front of you do I?” Bucky waved his hand in front of Steve, still gripping the dirty shirt. 

“What do you mean?” Steve let his eyes glance quickly over Bucky’s shining torso, slick with sweat, tan and toned, before fixing his eyes on Bucky’s face. 

“I mean, I don’t have to be Mr. Customer Service. You’re cool?” Bucky looked him in the eye for a second before twisting his torso to reach for the clean shirt, Steve trying to keep his eyes from following the soft fabric that slid down Bucky’s torso, settling softly atop the skin. He shook his head. 

“No..you don’t,” He trailed off, suddenly feeling the shirt that he was holding and deciding it’d definitely be weird if he just kept holding it. He shedded off his own damp, sweaty shirt, letting it fall into his bag and pulling down the clean shirt in a swift movement. 

“Well then,” Bucky stood up, tossing the dirty shirt into his open locker, “I cannot wait to get out of here.” 

“Oh?” He watched as Bucky slid his workout sweats down his legs, averting his eyes once he’d seen his knees, he really wouldn’t be able to tear his eyes away had he seen Bucky’s legs a moment longer. Strains of muscle along his thick thighs, dark brown hair twisting every which way on the tan skin. Steve stood up himself and turned his back towards Bucky, facing the locker as he pulled his own bottoms down and tried to quickly pull up his khaki shorts. He tossed the dirty shorts into his bag, and sat back down to retie his shoes. 

“Yeah, I work a short shift on Saturdays so I’m out in ten minutes.” Bucky was still pulling up his own jeans, wiggling into them as Steve fixed his eyes on his laces, which he just couldn’t seem to tie no matter how many times he’d tried. 

Bucky tossed the sweats into his locker, pulled out a pair of worn out Converse, and shoved his feet into them. 

“Oh, well yeah, that’s pretty cool. Glad I caught you this early, then.” Steve lifted his head to meet Bucky’s eyes, he’d finally laced up his shoes. 

“Heh, yeah, speaking of which, where’s Tony on this fine morning?” Bucky stood in front of Steve, arms crossed as he waited for Steve to finish up. And as he got his second shoe tied, he stood up, bag in hand and inches between him and Bucky. 

“Sleeping still, probably. Seeing him up before noon is a miracle.” Steve smiled at Bucky, and Bucky smiled at Steve. But Steve took a step back, the backside of his calf hitting the edge of the bench. He thought about the last time, trying to force himself to focus on the plan. Friends first, breakup soon. “Bucky, I just wanted to say...about last time. I’m really sorry if that came off as anyth-” 

Bucky waved his hand, dismissing the thought, “It’s nothing, really.” That smile was still stuck on his face, and Steve couldn’t help but smile once again in return. 

“Okay, great.” They stood there for a second, smiling at each other before Steve snapped back to his thoughts, “Hey, y’know, if you’re getting off work right now, maybe we can grab some coffee? I’ll pay, to make up for the…” He let out the smallest laugh, “...well, the nothing.” He smiled even wider, a giddy feeling spreading through his chest as he waited for Bucky to react to his attempted joke. 

He was met with a ridiculous smile, and a laugh that he couldn’t quite pin as real or fake. The thought that it could be real sent bolts of warmth through Steve’s still hot body and so he kept it in his mind as real. 

“Yeah, alright, let’s go.” Bucky nodded his head towards the door, waiting for Steve to exit before he followed after him. 

And as the two of them walked through the lobby, Steve turned to see Bucky throwing the keys to Pepper, who was sitting behind the front desk with a smile stretching her lips up to her freckled cheeks. “Later, Buck!” She called after them as Steve pushed the door open, turning slightly to catch Bucky waving goodbye back. 

The two of them hopped down the gym steps, Bucky pausing on the parking lot sidewalk and putting his hand up against Steve’s arm to get him to stop, “So, where we headed? I do have a car if you wanna drive.” 

Steve adjusted the bag on his shoulder, eyes glancing to the car they were standing a few feet away from, thinking to himself for a moment, “I’m fine either way, but there’s a coffee shop that Tony’s father owns, about five blocks up?” Steve watched Bucky’s eyes move around the parking lot, his hand in his pocket jingling some keys. 

“Honestly? I’m kinda tired from all the running, let’s just drive.” 

“Oh thank God, I didn’t really want to walk.” Steve put his hand on his stomach, letting his shoulders fall in relief as he chuckled. Bucky laughed along with him before tapping his shoulder and gesturing over to the car. 

They both hopped in, Steve’s giant bag sitting on his lap before Bucky laughed at the sight, “You can throw that in the back. Here.” He reached over, grabbing the straps and tossing it onto the back seat. 

Steve stared at Bucky, a nuance in his expression turning his eyes a bit more apologetic as he looked at Steve, “Sorry, didn’t mean to throw it that hard.” Steve smiled at him, shrugging as Bucky turned the ignition and the car roared to a start, rumbling under them with some croaks and squeaks. 

“Might be a little bumpy, but you just tell me where to go and I’m headed there.” Bucky turned around to back out, eyes meeting Steve for a second as he addressed him with a small smile. 

Steve slid his hands between his thighs, trying to make himself take up as little space as possible, as if that were possible. He directed Bucky through the streets as they made their way to the coffee shop, between traffic and even a collision, the drive was slow and Steve let his head fall against the headrest as his heart sped up. He wondered if they would even make it to the coffee shop before his heart leapt out of his chest. Tony was right, he had gotten it bad. 

\--

The two of them pulled up in Bucky’s beaten down vehicle a disproportionate amount of time later, Steve’s hands secured safely between his thighs, not daring to look at Bucky as he drove. The sharp curve of his jaw, the heart shape of his lips, his sunken, heavy-lidded eyes, especially not his soft, dark waterfall of hair. Just one look and he knew he’d be stuck on that profile for their entire drive, soft music in the background and butterflies in Steve’s stomach as he tried to focus. 

His eyes caught on the wooden sign hanging in front of the coffee shop, artificially worn with bone white words carved out of it sharply: _Starter Coffee_ , a clever name when he considered who’d owned it. 

Tony’s quick witted father, a bright man of forty-five by the name of Howard Stark, set up the shop when Tony was a child, a home away from home for him, and, when Steve found himself rooming with Tony in college, it became his favorite place as well. Long after he’d stopped going there with Tony. 

Right beside Howard was an important, self assured woman by the name of Margaret Carter. Though she preferred the shortened ‘Peggy,’ and liked to claim that her lips were stained with the blood of those who dared to call her Margaret. She was twenty years Howard’s junior but standing beside him as if she’d been there from the beginning. He shoved her last name into the shop’s name two years after she’d been brought on, and the place went from _Stark Coffee_ to _Starter Coffee_ , a change seemingly welcomed by all who patronized the establishment. 

“This place looks nice.” Bucky’s voice called Steve back to reality, and he turned his head to see Bucky’s hand pulling the key out of the ignition and offering a smile. 

“It is, quiet, and the coffee’s really good.” Steve smiled at Bucky before opening the car door and stepping out into the warm air, stretching his legs as he walked, the soreness of their run touching his muscles with certain movements. He looked back to catch Bucky locking the car and hopping onto the sidewalk towards Steve, who stood in front of the red stained wooden door, a glass panel inset and showing a bustling indoor scene. 

Steve pulled open the door, allowing Bucky to walk in first before stepping behind him into the chattering coffee shop. Both Howard and Peggy were behind the counter, another unfamiliar brunette handing out pastries from the shelves to customers that seemed to be in a great rush. 

“Heyyy, Steve!” Howard noticed Steve in the doorway, and Steve lifted a hand to wave, looking through the crowd to find a path to the counter. Three people stood in front of him and Bucky, though they all ordered with surprising speed, and Peggy delivered twice as fast. They were out the door, phones attached to their ears as they sipped on their drinks and Steve watched them dart down the street in their own directions before he turned to face Howard. 

“We haven’t seen you ‘round here in awhile, caught up with work?” He leaned onto the counter with his palms, a perfect smirk bringing smile lines to his cheeks and lines above his brow. 

“Yeah, yeah. Tony and I joined a gym, actually this is my trainer, Bucky.” Steve gestured to Bucky, who’d been standing silently beside him during the interaction, but now perked up and extended his hand forward to shake Howard’s. 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Bucky shook Howard’s hand, and Steve gazed upon him, noticing for the first time a light blush accompanying his now small voice. 

“You too, been keeping Steve in shape, huh?” Howard spoke with an assurance in his voice, and the statement was joined with a laugh that set both Bucky and Steve off into small seconds of laughs. 

“Sure thing, not like he really needs it.” Bucky had straightened up, though the light blush still stained his sharp cheekbones, and Steve watched him grow easily comfortable in the unfamiliar setting. Steve felt a poke at his side, and looked to see Bucky’s elbow nudging him in a joking manner. 

“Anyway..” Steve cleared his throat, trying to rid his mind of the friendly touch, “Don’t want to keep all these people held up,” He turned to the two people standing behind him, “Sorry!” He nodded apologetically, and turned back after they’d smiled and waved him off, “I’ll take a white chocolate mocha, extra syrup.” 

Steve watched as Howard punched the order into the register before looking towards Bucky, waiting for him to order. 

“Oh, uh, I’ll have the same, why not?” He shrugged, his hands now secured in his pockets as he shifted his weight between feet. 

“You got it.” Howard flicked his pen towards them before securing it behind his ear and writing their names on two pale brown coffee cups and setting it down where Peggy grabbed them after, almost colliding with the unnamed brunette, name tag invisible as she bent to arrange pastries in their trays. 

“Oh! Sorry Maria.” She smiled, her red lips curving up into a half moon as she slid a strand of hair behind her ear and reached for the cups. Steve listened to the soft accent in her voice, and his eyes fell back on the new brunette, _Maria_. 

“No worries.” She didn’t look at Peggy, her voice firm but welcoming, sharp blue eyes peering still onto the trays as she packaged them into small bags and handed them to the various customers standing patiently before the glass case. Steve already liked her, already liked how well she fit into this place, and his eyes shifted to Bucky who was also watching the scene, the faintest smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“Alright, that’ll be $7.68.” Howard’s head turned from where he’d been observing the others, and he looked between Steve and Bucky. Bucky began to pull out his wallet, but Steve put up a hand to stop him. 

“Hey, I said I got this one.” Steve pulled out his own wallet, grabbing a $10 bill and handing it over to Howard. 

“Right, well, I’ll get the next one.” Bucky said as he shoved his wallet back into his pocket, that faint smile now sitting proud on his lips, eyebrows turned up in a sweet expression. 

“Glad there’s gonna be a next time.” Steve’s eyes flickered over to him, then back to where Howard was counting change before placing it in Steve’s hands. “Thanks, Howard.” Steve nodded, a smile now stuck on his own lips. 

“You bet, Steve.” Howard lowered his voice, eyes shuffling around the counter before meeting Steve’s again, “Hey, tell Tony I love him, will you?” The assured smirk had vanished from his face, and he blinked hard while staring at Steve. 

“I will, Howard.” Steve’s voice had lowered as well, and he watched a flicker of hope flash across Howard’s face, that smirk almost appearing once again, but not completely. The two of them turned from the counter and walked over to where Peggy was filling up their cups. She popped lids on them and slid the paper vessels over to where they stood casually. 

“You just can’t help coming back, can you?” Peggy spoke to Steve, her eyes shifting to Bucky, then around the room, and finally back to Steve as she crossed her arms behind the counter, a brick red smile forming on her lips. 

Steve shrugged, “You know me, I’m a sucker for tradition.” He lifted the coffee cups, handing Bucky one, “This is-” 

“Bucky, yes, I heard.” She turned more to face Bucky, extending an arm forward, soft looking skin making way to hands with fingers also tipped in red. “Good to meet you, I’m Peggy.” 

Steve watched as Bucky reached over and took her hand, he shook it softly, and Steve saw the same blush creep again over his cheeks. Intimidated or smitten? Steve didn’t know. He’d guessed Bucky wasn’t one to be intimidated by strong women, but the thought of him being smitten with her didn’t leave a good feeling in his stomach, so he went with the former possibility. 

“Nice to meet you, Peggy.” 

They drew their hands back, and Peggy shifted back towards Steve, “You better call me soon, we’ve much...” Her eyes glanced at Bucky, “...to talk about.” She leaned forward, turned a cheek for Steve to kiss, and he obliged, her soft skin under his lips for a moment before he pulled back as she did. 

Steve waved a little as he turned, eyes falling on an empty table. He gestured towards it, meeting Bucky’s eyes and strolling over to the small wooden table, ink images pressed onto the worn wood and thick rope caned into the back of the also wooden chairs. 

Bucky slid himself into the chair that’d sat in front of the wall, Steve setting himself in the other, and his coffee onto the shallow, carved cup holders. 

“She sure seemed into you, does she know you’re with Tony?” Bucky brought the coffee to his lips, trying a sip and grimacing from the heat, “Crap, too hot.” He set his coffee down into the holder and fell back into the chair, wrists resting on the edge of the table as he played with his hands. 

“Oh, Peggy? She uh, no she’s, well, we..” Steve let out a laugh, finding his words, “We actually used to date.” He spun his coffee slowly, the circular cup holder keeping it in place. 

Bucky leaned forward once again, clasping his hands together over the table, “Really?” 

Steve didn’t meet his eyes, just toyed around with the cup and nodded, “Yeah, for two years, actually.” He looked up, catching Bucky’s eyes as he nodded, impressed, an eyebrow raised in surprise. 

“Phew..two years, that’s something.” Bucky tried to drink his coffee once again, and it was cool enough that he took a couple sips before a satisfied _ahhh_ , filled the air, “That’s pretty good.” 

His eyes caught onto the cursive scribble of his name, and Steve watched him continue to be amused at the curvature of Howard’s handwriting. 

“Told you.” Steve raised his own coffee to his lips, the drink sliding down his throat and warming his chest. It sent a wave of nice sparks through him, happy to be off the subject of Peggy, because that was definitely not something he felt the need to revisit now, with Bucky. 

They sat in silence for a small while, sipping on their coffee, absent of words as they glanced around the shop and found each other’s eyes more than a few times. 

Bucky finally, _finally_ , spoke up, “Look, I uh..don’t mean to intrude but, what was all that with Howard? After you paid?” He brought his coffee to his lips again, keeping his eyes on Steve. 

Steve sighed, glad the silence was gone but not quite sure how much he liked where they were now, “Tony just...doesn’t talk to his dad.” He spoke apprehensively, shaking his head while looking to the wooden table, “I don’t- I don’t think Tony would want me talking about it, with anyone, really. It’s not just you, trust me.” Steve spun his coffee around again, eyes fixating on a deep purple picture that was pasted onto the table, a childlike drawing of a Christmas tree. Tony was responsible for a lot of the ink drawings on many of these tables, the tree, Tony had explained the first time they’d come here, was from the Christmas that they spent in the shop. He looked up and caught Bucky’s eyes, wondering if they’d been on him this entire time. His heart leapt, tugged both by the brightness of Bucky’s eyes and the melancholy of that messy tree. 

“No I, I understand.” Bucky narrowed his eyes at Steve, “How did you two meet, anyway?” He tilted his chin up, jaw sharpening and a smile crossing his face. Steve was grateful he’d changed the subject. 

“It’s boring but, college. Yeah, freshman roommates. He was a nightmare, but, guess I changed my mind somewhere in there.” Steve smiled at Bucky, “Are you seeing anybody?” He sipped his coffee, raising his eyebrows as he waited for an answer, hoping it’d be no. As if that’d change things right now. 

Bucky just laughed, “No, no. Nobody really wants to date a-” He stopped himself, clearing his throat and abandoning thought. 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed, relieved at the answer but now worried of the following statement. He watched as Bucky shook his head, turning it down to look at the table, and he saw Bucky’s prosthetic hand disappear beneath the table. He didn’t need to ask, didn’t need the thought finished. 

“Hey,” Steve leaned forward, setting his elbows on the table and waiting for Bucky to meet his eyes. He wouldn’t, but Steve continued, “I think you’re pretty great.” Bucky met his eyes, looking up from the table, but his prosthetic still stayed hidden. “And, I mean, I’ve only known you for two weeks so, that’s gotta mean _something._ ” 

Bucky’s eyes flicked back to the table, but a smile now crossed his face, “Well, thanks, Steve.” He looked up from the table, “I know it means I can do more, but, y’know.” 

“Well, I don’t know about _that_ , personally but, I know what it’s like to be set back. I get your meaning.” Steve spoke, his voice assured and his eyes watching as Bucky’s prosthetic hand situated itself on the coffee cup. 

“Oh?” Bucky’s eyes flickered with something indescribable, hope, perhaps, the possibility of camaraderie between the two of them on their mutual problems. 

“When I was a kid, I, well, I was sick all the time. I was a small kid so, asthma, heart troubles, they followed me for a really long time. A really long time.” Steve took a swig of his cooling coffee, shaking his head and wondering why he was being so open. Maybe he wanted the same type of friendship, two people set back by the damndest things. “It got better in college, so, I started working out, a _lot_. And now, twenty-four, asthma’s nearly all gone. Heart problems aren’t so easy but, it’s less of a risk now. And,” Steve let out a laugh, “as you can tell, I’m not so small.” 

Bucky let out a heavy breath, his eyes wide, “Shit. That’s...pretty intense.” He stared at the table, and Steve watched him consider the story. 

“Yeah, I mean, things are better now. Significantly so, but...it’s still something I have to be wary of.” Steve continued to stare at Bucky, his dark hair fallen over his face, lips parting as he thought of words, and long eyelashes curved up, hitting his soft skin as he blinked. A smile curved up his lips, and he laughed, raising up his prosthetic arm, turning it over as he stared at it. 

“I guess this thing isn’t to blame for my relationship status, then.” He said, placing his hand back around his coffee cup and shaking his head. 

Steve laughed, “Nah, told you, you’re great.” 

Their eyes met, and a few seconds of silence passed between them, seeming to stretch forever in Steve’s mind as he watched Bucky, who pursed his lips and nodded at the thought, apparently satisfied. And Steve’s heart tugged, regretting the words he knew he had to enforce next, “I mean, I’ve got all that shit, and…” He inhaled, “I still managed to find Tony.” 

Bucky held back the smile that’d been forming, and Steve felt a deeper tug at his heart, a mess that fell into his stomach and killed the butterflies, replacing them with a self inflicted sense of hopelessness. He tried to remember, he and Tony would “break up” and, things should be good then. But, there was anything but a guarantee that Bucky would even be interested in him. 

He had never been so lucky. 

So, the two of them sat there in silence for a few minutes more, before Bucky finished off his coffee, Steve finished off his own. 

“You ready to go? I’ll drop you off at your place.” Bucky tossed his cup into the nearest can, reaching for Steve’s to toss it in as well. 

Steve nodded, standing up from the chair and looking over to where Howard, Peggy, and Maria were still hustling and bustling to attend to the customers. Though they were significantly fewer than they’d been when Steve and Bucky arrived, the trio’s reputation called for fast service, and it was what they’d deliver. 

“See ya, Steve!” Howard called when he noticed Steve and Bucky heading out the door, “Nice to meet you Bucky, hope to see you again!” And he waved, smiling when Bucky did the same. 

“Bye, Steve. Bye, Bucky.” Peggy slid a cup over to a waiting customer, and she wiggled her fingers at them, that rose red smile forever remaining on her lips. First as she looked at the customer, and still when she looked at the men. 

“Bye, Peggy, I’ll call soon.” Steve stood before the door, lifting a hand to wave. Bucky simply nodded at her with a smile, and she accepted it. 

The two of them pushed outside, both surprised at how much warmer it’d gotten, compared to the cold morning and even colder days before. They both sighed, content with the weather as they walked over to Bucky’s car. Steve’s hand waited on the door handle, pulling when the lock popped up and ducking inside the small car. 

Bucky turned the ignition, and the car rumbled, shaking under them as Bucky pulled out of their parking spot and followed Steve’s directions back to the apartment. 

The traffic was sparse, and Steve did look at Bucky this time, something indescribable in his profile. Heart shaped lips turned downwards, head bobbing ever so slightly along with the radio, his eyes wide as he looked at the road, eyelashes curving upwards. Steve stared for a few seconds more before turning his head to the road, he leaned back against the headrest, only speaking to give direction. 

They arrived in no time, and when Bucky pulled into a spot next to the apartment, Steve felt both relief and dismay swirling around in his chest. He reached to the back seat and grabbed his workout bag, setting it on his lap as he opened the door. He didn’t think Bucky would speak, pleasantly surprised when his faintly accented voice filled the car, his hand reaching to turn the radio down. Steve looked at him once again, the car door half open. 

“Don’t forget, I’m paying next time.” A small smirk came over him, and he turned his head most of the way to look at Steve. Those heart shaped lips were no longer curved downward, though his once wide eyes seemed to become more heavy-lidded, somehow burdened with something Steve didn’t know of. 

“You got it.” Steve clicked his tongue, nodding at Bucky before stepping out of the car and shutting the door. He adjusted his bag and stepped onto the sidewalk, waving at Bucky before turning and hopping up the steps to his apartment. He opened the door, and Tony was sitting on the couch, a bowl of cereal in his hands, which prompted Steve to check his watch, it was barely 2pm. 

“Hey.” Tony greeted, his mouth full of cereal, and maybe Steve should care, but he was too distracted. 

“Hey, Tony. Stopped by the shop, your dad says he loves you.” He let the bag fall off his shoulder, and plopped himself down on the couch next to Tony, who’d stopped chewing his cereal and fell back into the couch as Steve had. He was thinking on his father’s words, as Steve was thinking on Bucky’s words. 

There would be a next time, and in that, he found comfort.


	3. The First Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve has a hard day at work, and as it turns out, Bucky is able to help by recalling his own worst day.

On Monday, Steve hopped out of bed an hour before he needed to be at the school. Student teaching was the last step before he could find a permanent home in a school, and the year was already coming to a close. A semester gone by, just like that. 

He pulled on a pale pink dress shirt, beige slacks, and his shoes before strolling out to the kitchen to make some coffee, a pleasant smile tugging at his coral lips. 

Tony slumped out a couple minutes later, the aroma of Steve’s salted caramel coffee tugging him out of his endless slumber. “You’re gonna pour me a cup of that, right?” He scrubbed at his eyes, blinking before they focused on Steve, who gestured to the counter where a steaming mug of coffee sat waiting. “Alright.” Tony’s voice perked up as he grabbed the mug and sat on the table with his feet dangling above the ground, a quick smile on his face before he brought the drink to his lips, “Mornin, Steve. You’re chipper.” 

“Yeah, listen,” Steve stepped forward, leaning against the edge of the counter and crossing his foot over the other, “Would it be a dead giveaway if we ‘broke up’ this weekend?” 

Tony shrugged, “I don’t think so,” He smirked, coffee still in front of his lips as his muffled words filled the air, “You that eager to hop on the trainer?” 

Steve sputtered, bringing the mug to his mouth to catch the coffee that threatened to dribble down his chin and onto his shirt, “Damn it, Tony, I-” He paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before he could look Tony in the eye again, “You’re vulgar.” He smoothed down his shirt, attempting to sneak a tug at his collar. 

“I’m right.” Tony’s eyes flashed with something inscrutable as he slid off the table, “But sure, after this Saturday, we’re done.” He winked at Steve before turning on his heels and walking back to his room. 

Steve sighed, taking the last remaining sip of his coffee before he placed it in the sink, grabbed his keys, and headed out the door. 

\--

The cab ride to school was silent, with Steve sifting through his bag of papers and reassuring himself of the lesson plan. When everything was accounted for, he clicked the latch shut with a relieved sigh. 

A few student cars were parked in the lot when Steve stepped out of the cab, some were just arriving and waved at Steve as he passed them. 

He walked into his temporary classroom, greeted by the permanent teacher. Greying curls and raised eyebrows, Bruce Banner was the friendliest guy Steve had ever met. It was intimidating having to teach his class, everyone loved Bruce. His voice was calming, strained by emotion but well intentioned all the same. He smiled at Steve, “Hey, Steve. Morning treat you well?”

Steve smiled back, “As well as any morning could.” He spoke as he set his things down on Bruce’s desk, shuffling through papers and organizing himself before the first bell rang half an hour later. Students filled the classroom, weaving in-between rows to sit down. Steve tapped the stack of papers he held on the desk, straightening them out before he walked them over to his podium, also filled with papers and assorted office supplies. 

The bell rang and a few students ducked in moments later, sliding into their seats. Steve waited with his lips in a faltering straight line before starting in. The countdown to the end of the year had begun, and Steve was about as eager as the students for it to be over. Though he strayed from the relation when it came to his excitement about the following year. 

“Good morning.” Steve projected to the class. 

“Good morning.” About half the class echoed back. 

“First thing, your Hamlet Act II quizzes are graded, and…” He paused, staring down at the first test on the stack, “You all did great!” He tapped the paper against the podium, smiling when he heard the relieved sigh of the students. 

They waited, eager, as he strolled up and down rows passing out quizzes. And he repeated this process the next five class periods, thanking God that his last hour was a prep period. He was settling into Bruce’s desk, empty since lunch when Bruce had to run to some meetings, before the principal, Nick Fury, an awfully fitting name for the gruff man, came into the classroom seeking council with Steve. 

“Seems we’ve got a complaint.” He said, walking down the hallway with Steve towards the front office. 

“Oh?” Steve murmured, the hand out of Fury’s sight tucked into his pocket where he was fiddling with fabric. 

“Mhm.” Nick’s voice was steady, somehow more intimidating in its calm state. Steve racked his brain for what he could’ve done wrong, came up with about a thousand solutions before dismissing them as ridiculous. Surely it was just a misplaced test, or a student, unhappy with their grade.

They stepped into Nick’s office where one of Steve’s mouthier students sat with his mother right behind him. He set himself down in the seat beside the student, “Hello, Jasper.” A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. 

“Mr. Rogers.” The student dragged out, the slightest hint of nerves sitting somewhere in the name. 

Nick Fury situated himself in his desk, addressing the crowd of three. “Mrs. Sitwell here seems to have a problem with you.” He gestured to the woman standing behind Jasper, arms crossed and thin lips holding back displeasure. She nodded. 

“You’ve really seem to have it out for my Jasper, don’t you?” Her voice was strong, broken only by a quick pace and desperation to put forth her dissatisfaction. Steve looked between her and Nick, a question mark still sitting in his brain. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.” He frowned, cocking his head to the side as he faced her. 

“My son has an F in your class, the last three assignments must have been wildly miscalculated. Look,” She uncrossed her arms, revealing a cell phone. She turned the screen towards Steve, pointing at the aforementioned assignments. “Do you see? Now, how is it possible my son received, at most, eight points on ninety to one hundred point assignments? I know he turned them in, I saw them lying around the house from some time to another.” She crossed her arms again, “Explain.” 

Steve’s heart was pounding in his chest, scrambling for the right words, “I- remember those assignments. Jasper did well on all of them, it’s possible…” He paused, looking back to Fury, “I just, haven’t gotten the hang of the online system yet. It must not have registered the second digit, I’m,” He looked back to the woman, “I’m sorry. Your son is a good worker, and I’ll change those in the system immediately.” 

His eyes flicked over to Jasper, who was sitting there with an unreadable expression, somewhere between smugness and discomfort. His mother raised an eyebrow at Steve, “This better not happen again.” Her mouth shifted into a smile as she looked at Nick, “Thank you, for handling this.” 

He nodded at her, “Jasper, you can go back to class. Mrs. Sitwell, thank you for bringing this to my attention.” 

She patted her son on the arm as he went by, a sleek smile on her face when he was gone. “Hmph.” She blew out, “I hope not to be here again.” And with that, she turned on her heels and walked out. 

Steve turned to Nick, who laced his fingers together and leaned forward on his desk, eyes refusing to leave Steve’s face. He opened his mouth as if to speak, and sighed before starting in, “I assume you’re going to get those changed as soon as you get back.” He watched Steve, searching his face for give. 

“Yes, absolutely.” Steve nodded, getting halfway out of his seat before Nick shook his head, and he took the hint to sit back down. 

“I like you, Steve. The students like you. I was really considering bringing you on next year in the English department, I still am. But we cannot, can not, have issues like that. Understand?” He paused, “It’s simple, students get mad, then parents get mad, parents come in here and complain to me, and I get mad. You’re still learning, but it’s nearing the end of the year. Tiny screw ups like that,” Fury clicked his tongue, “See how they cause a bigger ruckus?” 

Steve nodded, “Yes, sir, I’m sorry.” He sat there waiting, hands gripping his knees. 

“Don’t apologize, fix it.” Nick nodded his head towards the door, and Steve was up out of his chair and out the door before he could decide to keep him. 

He walked back to the classroom, and Bruce was sitting there in his chair, clicking around on the computer. His eyes flicked up to see Steve walking towards him, a smile still on his face, “Messed up with the online grading, huh? Happens to all of us, but I think I got it for you. Jasper Sitwell was the kid, right?” He looked to Steve, then back to the computer once he received a nod, “Yeah, gotta be perfect with that one. But,” Bruce clicked some buttons, “There, should be fixed.” 

Steve stepped over to stand behind Bruce, saw the fixed scores, and sighed. “Thank you, Bruce.” He clapped him on the shoulder, tension melting away as the final bell rang right then. 

“Don’t mention it.” Bruce fell against the back of his chair, sighing, “Four days till the weekend.” He laughed, and stood up to collect his things. Steve did the same, sifting through papers and placing them in his bag before slinging it around his shoulders. 

 

“See you tomorrow, Bruce. Thanks, again.” Steve turned and offered a wave. 

Bruce looked up from the papers he was still sorting through, “Again, don’t mention it.” That friendly expression was still resting on his face when Steve turned and strolled out the doorway, hurrying outside and hailing a cab. 

He knew he’d be worrying all day, but at least he could go home and worry on the couch. 

\--

When Steve opened the door, he was greeted by more than just Tony. 

“Hey, Steve. Long time no see.” Natasha Romanoff, a strong asset to the Steve and Tony duo in college, was sitting on the couch beside Tony. Her straight, fire hair fell against her shoulders, impossibly pink lips stretched into a smirk. Her eyelashes curved above her blue eyes, glittering with something unknowable to Steve. 

“I saw you two weeks ago, Nat.” He let his bag drop on the floor as he strolled over to her and leaned down for a hug. She let out a small laugh, kissing him on the cheek before sinking back into the couch. 

Tony snapped and pointed at Steve, “We,” he gestured between himself and Natasha, “Are going out to dinner with Pepper tonight.” His legs were crossed, and he leaned forward, lacing his hands and holding his knee with them, a pleasant smile on his face. 

Steve mocked hurt, “And you aren’t inviting me?” He watched his friends laugh, and the bad day washed away, replaced by the image of them there together, happy. 

“We can’t have her falling in love with you, now can we?” Natasha crossed her arms, her head cocked as she looked at Steve, that smirk still planted on her lips. 

He waved the comment off, “Aah, Pepper’s already almost in Tony’s web. I’m the one taking up all the space.” 

“Hmph, yeah. Tony told me about your...arrangement,” She shook her head again, directing most of it towards Tony, “I don’t know why you agreed to that.” 

Tony shrugged, “Money.” He answered, looking to Steve for approval, and back to Natasha once Steve frowned and mumbled out a meek, “Yeah.” 

Natasha looked between them, catching Steve’s frown, “He told me about the trainer, too.” 

“Ah, fuck.” Steve groaned, letting his head fall back in distress. He shuffled around on his feet, lifting a hand and pointing his index finger towards the ceiling, “But! I have it under control. I don’t need an...orchestrated dinner.” He narrowed his eyes at Tony, a smile underneath the serious eyes. 

“Hey, hey.” Tony wagged his finger at Steve as Natasha watched them, taken aback when Tony pointed at her, “It was her idea, and I’m not about to turn down her work. You know how well she does.” 

Steve nodded. It was true, Natasha always had her head on straight, cool under pressure and able to feign stress when she needed. It helped that she was gorgeous, but people fell in love with her when she opened her mouth. Tony had certainly been infatuated when they met in college, and Steve soon after became invested in the friendship she offered. She was their third musketeer, and her boyfriend Clint soon became the fourth. 

Natasha had been a staunch supporter of Steve and Peggy’s relationship, a stable shoulder when Tony fell out with his dad, and a welcomed companion to the both of them. They were equally enthusiastic to be a part of her and Clint’s wedding after graduation, the one time they’d seen her unwillingly lose her cool before she was guided back to that chill state by her boys. 

They just worked, despite every difference. The universe saw it fit to keep them together. 

“Mhm, you two are breaking up this weekend, right?” Natasha’s voice called Steve back to the room, an eyebrow cocked and her lips pursed. 

“Yeah,” Steve tilted his head, “But, I’m not sure how we’re gonna clue in Pepper and Bucky.” 

Tony knitted his eyebrows together, “Oh, huh, yeah.” He thumbed his chin, thinking. 

Natasha stood up, stepping around Steve and closer towards the door, “It can be figured out later. We’ve gotta go.” She tapped her watch and turned it towards Tony, “Reservation is in an hour and traffic doesn’t look good.” 

Tony pulled himself off the couch, clapping Steve on the shoulder as he went by, “We’re gonna kill it, Rogers. Wish me luck.” He winked, opening the door for Natasha before he stepped out. 

“Luck.” Steve waved his fingers at them, smiling until after the door was shut. He strolled over and locked it, turning around in the empty apartment. Suddenly the daunting reality of his school day hit him, and he yawned. “Fuck, I need a nap.” He said to the apartment, unbuttoning his dress shirt and kicking off his shoes as he walked to the bedroom and fell onto his bed. He scrolled through his phone for a couple minutes before fatigue won and he was fast asleep. 

\--

Steve woke up when the sky between his blinds was pink, the sun descending below the city’s skyscrapers and shooting strong light between the steel buildings. His muscles were begging to be stretched as he got out of bed, and he reached towards the ceiling, shaking out his arms and legs before he walked into the kitchen. 

He opened the fridge, staring at the food that didn’t seem at all pleasing to him right now, before crouching down and reaching for a bottle of water. He took a few gulps before setting it down on the table and putting his hands on his hips, surveying the apartment and deciding he didn’t want to be there. 

Gym bag in hand five minutes later, he strolled out the door in a workout shirt and shorts, wishing himself luck as he jumped down the steps. He thumbed through his phone as he walked, humming to himself on the near desolate street and soaking in the saturated pink rays of sunlight that warmed his bare arms and legs. His heart still thrummed with worry, and he was anxious to sweat it out in the gym. 

Again, there was only one car in the parking lot when he approached the gym. The same car that drove him to the coffee shop, the car that belonged to Bucky. His heart beat harder, and he hastened his pace, almost slipping on a cluster of loose gravel as he made his way towards the doors. 

Steve pulled them open, stepping into the cool, air conditioned gym with a sigh. He looked around the lobby, but Bucky was nowhere in sight. He stepped towards the hallway that led to the locker room, abandoning the thought when he felt how much his hands were shaking. He needed to get those nerves out, needed to get his hands on the punching bag that had been calling to him since he first joined this gym and started beating himself up over his infatuation. 

Now, he felt he had a real reason to turn loose on that punching bag, so he turned and hopped into the gym, throwing his bag down a few feet away from the punching bag and sifting through to grab a water bottle. He took a swig before tossing it in the open bag and leaning down to grab his hand wraps. 

After fiddling with them for a bit without success, he plopped down criss cross on the mat and started again. He took his time to wrap his hands before getting back up and starting in on the punching bag. 

His mind flashed with that day at school. It had started with an almost guaranteed job position next year, and ended with, at best, flimsy chances. How one student could screw things up...no, how _he_ could screw things up so easily, it frustrated him beyond reason. 

As he continued in on the bag, his thoughts shifted to that of Bucky. Of Tony, and Pepper. The warm feeling in his chest whenever he saw Bucky, and the gnawing that lived in his gut when he remembered he couldn’t have him. The thoughts lived in a whirlwind in his mind, and his hits just kept coming until a voice jarred him out of his trance. 

“Steve, how long have you been here?” Bucky’s voice cut through the humid air in the gym, pulling Steve away from the punching bag to face him. 

“I don’t...know.” He let his hands fall to his sides, and felt his cheeks flush red, embarrassed by his neglectful daze. His chest heaved as he took in and exhaled deep breaths, trying and failing to compose himself. Bucky stared at Steve, his mouth turned down as he stared at the sweating, surprised man. 

“You alright?” Bucky asked as he stepped forward, prosthetic hand almost reaching towards Steve before he fixed it back at his side. 

Steve let out a sigh and wiped his brow, “No, no.” He let his head fall, and he shook it as he stared at the ground. He saw Bucky’s sneakers in his vision, and when he lifted his head back up, Bucky was standing right in front of him, eyebrows raised in concern and that casual frown still sitting on his lips. 

“Talk to me.” Bucky nodded his head towards the benches that sat against the wall behind the punching bag, and walked over to sit on them with Steve. He crossed one leg under the other to face Steve. 

Steve leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. He felt some tension leave his shoulders when Bucky lifted his prosthetic hand to give him a pat on the back, before resting it on Steve’s shoulder blade. The touch shot spirals of warmth into his stomach, but his brain shot back thoughts he’d rather shove away forever. 

He spoke from behind his hands, Bucky leaning forward to catch the muffled words. “It’s just, I’m _this_ close to being a real teacher. _This_ close to having my own classroom, to teaching my own lessons and making some shred of a difference.” He paused, shaking his head in his hands, “Or, I was.” 

Bucky rubbed his back, scooting closer to him, “Hey.” He called, waiting until Steve turned his head to peek out from behind his hands. “You wanna hear about my worst day on the job?” 

Steve nodded, cheeks pressed against his hands, squished into his sharp cheekbones. He felt like a child, looked like a child, even. And he let a smile slip when Bucky offered him one. Bucky took a deep breath, and looked down to the floor, his smile now turned solemn. 

“It was...almost four years ago, wow.” He shook his head, eyebrows raising in surprise, “Anyway, I’d just graduated a few months earlier, been working at this construction company.” He laughed, his hand on Steve’s back stopped, but he began running his thumb along Steve’s shoulder blade.

“It was something like Hydra Construction, yeah. The higher ups were evil, but I needed to make ends meet. I was just a small ant. The shift manager, Brock, he was trouble. Rough and condescending, but the job always got done with no accidents. Well. One accident.” 

Steve rested his chin in the palm of his hand, his lips parting, a worried look flashing across his face as Bucky grit his teeth and clenched his free hand. He stared at the flesh before resting it on his lap, tucked close to his body as if he were trying to protect it. 

“One of the really, _really_ great guys...I can’t remember his name, but he was lifting a beam we needed for the project. I was directing him, and we were almost there. But Brock he, he walked out of nowhere, yelling something at the guy behind the controls and next thing I know I’m awake in a hospital bed without my arm.” Bucky paused, dragging his hand away from Steve’s back and staring at it, clenching and unclenching, “Sometimes when I see this, I can almost feel it moving.” 

He sat up straight, shaking his head again, “Anyway I, had some memory problems. Apparently the beam smacked me pretty good on the way down. But I found out that Brock was still at the company when I pulled enough memories together to ask, the guy who was behind the wheel though, gone. Fired or quit or, whatever. Right after that I showed up here and started working towards being okay, and a few months later I was a trainer. So, maybe this school isn’t for you. But the next one, it will be.” 

"Thank you, Buck." Steve sat straight up next to him, and snuck his hand over to Bucky’s, grabbing the prosthetic hand and holding it. He considered lacing his fingers into Bucky’s, abandoning the thought when he started to feel his heartbeat in his eardrums. It pulsed against his mind as he looked into Bucky’s eyes, hoping the gesture would be taken as friendly, wishing it could be anything more. 

Bucky stared at their hands before meeting Steve’s eyes. Blue met grey as the world stopped and Bucky leaned in. 

Steve could’ve pulled away, could’ve stopped it. He didn’t want to. He revelled in the moment when Bucky’s lips met his, when the soft, pink skin stuck against his chapped, red mouth. Their lips sliding together for seconds, what could’ve lasted hours if Bucky hadn’t pulled away. 

His eyes were wide, and he tugged his hand away from Steve’s, shooting up from the bench and stepping backward. “I’m sorry, I’m-” His foot caught on the mat, and he almost tripped before catching himself halfway through a second frantic apology. 

“It’s okay, B-” Steve stood up, taking a step forward and reaching a hand towards Bucky. 

“No, no.” Bucky shook his head, “You need to go, gym’s closed. Please, I’m...sorry.” He turned on his heels and marched out of the gym, turning into the hallway that led to the locker room. 

Steve watched him go, eyes glued to the door even as he leaned down to pick up his bag and gather the water bottle that had rolled away. He took tentative steps towards the gym door, peering out into the lobby and then into the hallway. Bucky was nowhere in sight, and Steve wanted to find him, wanted to chase that kiss with another. 

But he didn’t. Either despite the heavy beating in his heart or because of it, he turned towards the door and left the gym. 

He shuddered at the ghost of Bucky’s lips on his the whole walk home, praying to God that it wouldn’t be the last one. 

And it wasn’t.


End file.
